The Impact of Employing Metacognitive Strategies on the Development of Linguistic Competence in Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Pupils

Abstract

Poor linguistic competence among deaf and hard-of-hearing students is one of the most significant challenges facing the educational process, given the link between language and the development of thinking, learning, and communication. Poor language acquisition and comprehension negatively affect academic achievement, particularly in reading and writing skills, and are linked to factors such as early hearing loss, delayed educational intervention, and the absence of teaching strategies tailored to the specific needs of this group. To address this problem, this study aimed to examine the impact of metacognitive strategies on the development of Arabic linguistic competence in a group of D/HH students. To this end, a descriptive and quasi-experimental approach was adopted with a sample of 40 students from "Lalla Asmae Foundation for the D/HH" who were trained in the 5E's Learning Cycle and Self-Questioning. Data were then collected using psychological measures and pre- and post-tests of linguistic competence, which were analyzed using specific statistical methods (SPSS). The results showed a significant improvement in the linguistic competence of D/HH students in terms of comprehension, writing, and sign language, as well as an increase in linguistic and metacognitive awareness in the experimental group compared to the control group. The importance of the research lies in its presentation of a practical educational model that enhances metacognitive awareness in the classroom for D/HH students, thereby supporting the trend toward self-learning and their linguistic integration within the educational institution and society.